The Sweet And Scandalous History Of Candy Cigarettes

Nostalgia will get you every time, from old TV shows to candies you haven't eaten in decades. But one candy might make you a little nostalgic and a little (okay, a lot) alarmed at the same time — those little candy cigarettes that let you pretend to be all grown up. Candy cigarettes, basically sticks of pure sugar, were invented in the 19^th century and gained popularity in the 1920s. Like the real cigarettes they mimicked, candy cigarettes offered variety in the form of hard candy sticks, bubblegum sticks, and even "smokes" made from chocolate. The original packages looked just like real cigarettes, complete with brand names including Marlboro, Winston, and Camel. Some brands even offered "cigarettes" you could blow through, sending a puff of powder out the end.

Big tobacco companies certainly didn't mind them. After all, the candies were desensitizing kids to smoking. They also had no problem with the blatant copyright infringement since candy smokers often became real smokers once they had grown up. A 2007 study published in Preventive Medicine found that former candy cigarette use correlated with an increased likelihood of cigarette use later in life. 88% of current and former smokers who were surveyed reported that they had tried candy cigarettes. 

The fact that these little candy smoke sticks didn't actually taste good — unless, of course, you're into sugary chalk — had nothing to do with their wane in popularity. For this, the responsibility lands directly on their cancer-causing role models. As word began to get out in the 1960s that smoking was inherently bad for you, the popularity of candy cigarettes began to decline. 

Like vintage appetizers we can't believe existed (a little minced clam-cheese, anyone?), it's hard to believe that candy cigarettes were ever a thing. Even more surprising is the fact that not only were they popular, they are actually still being made today. Rather than being reinvented like other nostalgic treats, candy cigarettes have simply become candy "sticks." Today, one of the companies still making candy sticks is World Confections. It makes classic candy sticks that come in packages which mimic real cigarette packs and paper-wrapped fruit sticks that look like real cigarettes.

While these products are clearly marked as "candy," they aren't sold in many places and aren't advertised. This can be chalked up to the fact that marketing cigarettes to kids (real or otherwise) is controversial to say the least. In fact, there have been several attempts to ban candy cigarettes over the years. However, those efforts have only succeeded in Maine and Tennessee. 

If you've never "smoked" a candy cigarette and are curious about the taste, you can buy them on Amazon or at some specialty candy shops. However, you might be unpleasantly surprised. Unlike some popular snacks from the '90s you might want to try, candy cigarettes aren't known for their pleasant flavor. At least the heavy dose of sugar won't cause you to develop a smoker's cough.